Comparing: IS-2 vs. IS-2

Built in 1944, the IS-2 (IS-122) heavy tank was a modification of the IS-1. It featured a simple cast glacis plate. Elite Soviet Guards heavy tank regiments used the IS-2 extensively in the assaults on the fortress cities of Budapest, Breslau, and Berlin. These vehicles featured thick white stripes for quick identification by other Soviet tank crews. This vehicle, a tank of the 7th Guards Independent Heavy Tank Brigade, was made famous in a photo taken in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate in the heart of Berlin.

Soviet IS-2 tanks were exported to China in the early 1950s and were used during the Korean War from 1950 through 1953. According to U.S. reconnaissance data, at least four Chinese tank companies deployed in Korea had the IS-2 tank, with five tanks in each company. The IS-2 remained in Chinese service until the late 1950s. Production was discontinued due to a shortage of spare parts and the launch of the Type 59 project. A few IS-2 tanks were exported to Vietnam, where they fought in the final stage of the Indochina War of 1946–1954.